Ledger.



Patented July 8, I902. J. B. WINN.

L E D G E R.

(Application filed Mar. 14, 1902.)

(No Model.)

THE NORRIS PETERS ca, RHOTO-LITHUH wAsumcmu. D, Q.

UNrrED STATES PATENT .OFFICE.

JOSEPH B. WINN, OF AUSTIN, TEXAS.

LEDG ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 704,420, dated July 8, 1902. Application filed March 14, 1902. fierial No. 98,192. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH B. WVINN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Austin, in the county of Travis, State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ledgers, of which the following is a description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to ledgers for use in banks and the like, and is particularly adapted for use as what are termed individual lodgers-t. 62., those books in which are kept the accounts of the individual depositors. The books now generally employed for this purpose are provided with suitable namecolumns and daily-entry columns, each of said daily-entry columns being followed by a daily-balance column, said daily-entry columns being used to record the deposits and checks for the respective days and the daily-balance columns being used to record the balance as shown by the days business with each particular depositor. These daily columns are provided particularly for the purpose of the teller, and manifestly with the books just described the daily balances must be carried into a new column each day, notwithstanding the fact that, owing to no business on the part of the depositors, a great number of the balances may not have changed from their condition at the close of the preceding days business. Experience has demonstrated that only about twenty per cent. of the balances change daily, so that about eighty per cent. of the entries in the dailybalance columns are unnecessary work except for the fact that such a balance-column must be kept for the teller. Furthermore, each day the balance-column is farther removed from the name-column, thus increasing the chance for error on the part of the teller in carrying a line from the name to the balance column.

The object of myinvention is to produce a book which shall be a combined day-book, daily balance book, and ledger, which is smaller than the individual lodgers now in use, but will carry an account for as long a period as the said ledgers now generally employed, whose use presents a daily-balance column, but avoids the daily copying of the above mentioned eighty per cent. of unchanged balances, while a permanent record of monthly balances is preserved for use in balancing pass-books, &c., and in which the daily balances are at all times presented in a column adjacent the depositors names, thus reducing to the minimum the chances for an error by the teller in carrying a line from the name to the balance.

To these ends and also to improve generally upon devices of the nature indicated my invention consists in the various matters hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a portion of a ledger constructed in accordance with the present invention, short leaves being broken away. Fig. 2 is a similar view with one of the short leaves turned over to show the monthly-balance col umn thereon falling alongside of the daily balance column of the long leaf. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of a portion of the present ledger.

Referring now more particularly to said drawings, A represents a full-size or long ledgerleaf, and B indicates short leaves properly interposed between the leaves A. At the left of each full-size leaf is a vertical name-column a, while to the right of said name-column and adjacent thereto is a vertical transfer-balance column a, and a single daily-balance column Z), this column being preferably subdivided to present vertical debit and credit columns b and Z2 respectively. Following this daily balance column is a series of daily-entry columns 0, here shown as single columns, the credits (or deposits) being entered in black ink and the debits (or checks) being entered in red ink, although double columns of the nature of the daily-balance column can be employed, if so desired. These daily-entry columns 0 are adjacent each other, however, the dailybalance columns commonly following them, as heretofore being omitted, thus savin ga large proportion of the book andmakingthe ledger much lighter and easier to handle. The daily-entry columns are continued across the page A and then across the next following short page until a sufficient number of columns for the month have been provided. Every short leaf begins with a monthly-bal ance column d.

The short pages B are made of such length that when folded upon the preceding long page A the name-column, the transfer-balance column, and daily-balance column upon said long page are left exposed and in register with the monthly-balance column d, and by providing fourteen daily-entry columns upon the long page and the same number of columns upon each succeeding short page and the fol-lowing long page a long and two following short leaves, together with the following page of the next succeeding long leaf, serve to carry the entries of the depositors indicated in the name-column fora period of three months. As is customany, at the end of this period the list of depositors is copied upon a new sheet A, the closed accounts 7 being omitted.

The daily entries are made in the usual manner, and at the close of the days business the balances are computed and entered in pencil in the daily-balance column b. On the next day the entries of deposits and checks are made as usual, but at the close ,of the days business, instead of writing an entire new daily-balance column, as has heretofore been necessary, the balances are computed for only those accounts which show transactions (generally about twenty per cent. of the whole number of depositors) and only the balances for those accounts are altered in the daily-balance column, said daily-balance column after this slight change presenting the desired full column corrected for the next days use by the teller and said balance-column remaining adjacent the depositors names. This operation is repeated for each day of the month, and after the daily-balance column has been corrected at the close of the last day a short leaf is turned over and'the balances are copied therefrom in ink (the debit balances in red and the credit balances in black) in the monthly-balance column cl, which thus becomes a permanent record for use in balancing passbooks, 850. The entries for the ensuing month are made, as above explained, in the columns 0.

The transfer-balance column a to the left of the monthly-balance column b is intended to receive the balances brought forward in red and black ink from the old ledger in opening up a new one or when the depositors names are transferred to new pages. The balances may be brought forward in pencil direct to the daily-balance column and so save time and labor.

The various columns being vertical and being arranged in horizontal series with the hori zontal name-lines extending across all of said columns, a great number of accounts (usually forty) are presented by the adjacent open pages of the book, while the daily-entry columns and the daily-balance column (and, on

the last day of the month,'the.monthly-balance column) for this entire number of accounts are open for inspection at the same time and no leaves have to be turned in making up the daily-balance column from the daily entry columns or in making up the monthly-balance column.

As previously noted, the deposits are ontered in black ink, the checks in red ink, and the daily balances are kept in pencil. The balances that change during each days business are erased and increased or decreased daily as the accounts are credited with deposits or debited with checks. After computing the daily balances the bookkeeper changes the total-balance footings of each page of the ledger by adding the difference between the total checks and deposits of the page if the excess is a credit and subtracting if a debit; but should the debit-balance column increase he adds to the result already obtained its total increase and subtracts if a decrease. After the daily balances have been computed and the total balance footings erased and changed the work is verified by footing the balances, and if correct the difference between the total debit and credit balance footings of the previous day plus or minus thedifference between the total checks and deposits of the day just closed balances with the difference between the total debit and credit balances of the day just closed.

By the use of the present book the teller (for whose especial guide the daily balances are computed) can see ata glance the standing of each depositor, the bookkeeper can balance each days business with the tellers cash without the aid of a journal or any auxiliary books, and the bookkeeper can verify each page of his work independently of the other pages. The present book therefore produces a combined day-book, daily-balance book,and ledger, is small, and therefore more economical and more easily handled than are the individual ledgers now commonly used, and by its use the necessary records are presented in a convenient manner for all persons who work from them, and these records are kept and the proper verifications are made by the expenditure of much less time and labor than is nec- 'essary in keeping the books now commonly employed.

The placingof the monthly-balance column d at the beginning of each short leaf throws it adjacent to the daily-balance column, which greatly facilitates the recording of the balances therein in ink from the daily-balance column the last day of each month. It also leaves the monthly-balance column exposed to view adjacent to the daily-balance column, which enables the bookkeeper to readily catch up errors, if made in computating and erasing the daily balances.

Having thus described my invention, what I ctlaim, and desire to secure by Letters Paten 1s 1. A ledger or the like comprising long leaves, each provided with a name-space, a single designated daily-balance column, adjacent to the name-space, and a series of designated daily-entry columns for one months business, and short leaves between and of less length than the long leaves and each beginning with a designated monthlybalance column, followed by a series of designated daily-entry columns for one months business; the short leaves being of a length that when laid over on the long leaves the name-space and daily-balance spaces will be exposed to View, and the latter serve for use with all of the other columns; substantially as described.

2. A ledger or the like, comprising long leaves each having a name-space,a designated transfer-balance column, a single designated daily-balance column, and a series of designated daily-entry columns for one months business, and short leaves between and of less length than the long leaves and each beginning with a designated monthlybalance column followed bya series of designated daily-entry columns for one months business; the short leaves being of a length that when laid over on the long leaves the name-space, transfer-balance column and the daily-balance column Will all be exposed to View and. the latter serve for use with all of the other columns; substantially as de* scribed.

3. A ledger or the like, provided with long leaves each having a single designated dailybalance column and short leaves beginning with a designated monthly-balance column to fall adjacent to the said-single dailybalance column, when the short leaf is laid on the long leaf to facilitate the recording of the balances in ink from the daily-balance column on the last day of the month and thereby obviating the necessity of folding the edge of the short leaf upon itself; substantially as described.

4. A ledger or the like, provided with a vertical name-space, next a designated vertical transfer-balance column, next a single vertical designated daily-balance column, next a single vertical designated monthly-balance and followed by a series of vertical daily-entry columns; all of the before-mew tioned columns exposed to view at the same time, for the purposes set forth.

' In testimony whereof I aiitlx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH B. WINN.

WVitnesses:

O. W. Fosrnn, G. N. DILWORTH, J r. 

